This translation is taken from A. M. Blackman & H. W. Fairman, "The Myth of Horus at Edfu: II. C. The Triumph of Horus over His Enemies - a Sacred Drama {Continued}" (JEA 1943); and A. M. Blackman & H. W. Fairman, "The Myth of Horus at Edfu: II. C. The Triumph of Horus over His Enemies - a Sacred Drama {Concluded}" (JEA 1944). Each scene in the drama is illustrated by a relief; and details of the reliefs are included in the translation.
The Myth of Horus as preserved in the Temple of Edfu is inscribed on the inner faces of the east and west enclosure walls ( for the date of the walls, see AET 8.13.G ). But it is believed that this drama was originally composed much earlier, during the Late New Kingdom period (perhaps 12th century B.C.).
PROLOGUE
[Decription of Relief.] Behind Thoth, who is reciting from a roll, stands Horus of Behdet, holding a harpoon and rope in his right hand and accompanied by Isis. To the left of these three divinities Horus of Behdet once more appears, this time in a boat, with the rope in his left hand and in his right the harpoon, with which he pierces the head of a hippopotamus. Behind him is Isis again, followed by a small and much damaged figure of Ḫar-Khentekhtai. On the water's edge, facing the boat, is King Ptolemy ( appropriately wearing the head-dress of Onuris ), who also pierces with a harpoon the head of the same hippopotamus.
[Inscription Above Relief.] King of Upper and Lower Egypt, a hero of great strength; most warlike emanation among the gods, who guards the Path[s] of Horus (?); valorous one, of proud bearing when wielding the three-barbed harpoon, who travels swiftly in his war-galley; lord of Mesen, captor of the Hippopotamus, who exercises protection; Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky.
[READER.] [60] Long live the good god, son of the Victorious Horus, excellent offspring of the Lord of Mesen, bold fen-man, valiant in the chase, 10 the Man of the First Lotus-leaf (?), battling Horus, a man to seize the mooring-post in the water, lord of valour, Son of Rē, (Ptolemy-may-he-live-for-ever- Beloved-of-Ptah).
TO BE RECITED BY HIS MAJESTY: [KING.] Praise to you and a merry noise to your war-galley, O Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky. I adore your name [61] and the names of your executioners in your train. I give praise to your spearmen, I revere your harpoons recorded in the Emanations of Rē, I give thanks to your weapons.
[READER.] Here begins the bringing to pass of the triumph of Horus over his enemies, when he hastened to slay the foes after sallying forth to battle. Seth has been judged in the Tribunal of Rē and Thoth says:
[THOTH.] A happy day, O Horus, lord of this land, son of Isis, lovable one, winner of triumph, heir of Osiris, offspring of Onnophris, whose strength is great in every place of his! A happy day on this day which is divided by its minutes! A happy day on 5 this night which is divided by its hours! A happy day in this month which is divided by its fifteenth-day feast! A happy day in this year which is divided by its months! A happy day in this eternity which is divided by its years! A happy day in this everlasting! How pleasant it is when they come to you every year!
[HORUS.] A happy day! I have cast my harpoon lustily! A happy day! My hands have the mastery of his head! I have cast at the cows of the hippopotami in water of eight cubits. I have cast at the Lower Egyptian Bull in water of twenty cubits, a harpoon-blade of four cubits, a rope 10 of sixty cubits and a shaft of sixteen cubits being in my hands, a stripling I of eight cubits. I have cast standing in the war-galley on water of twenty cubits. I have hurled with my right hand and swung with my left, as a bold fen-man does.
[ISIS ?] The pregnant ones among the hippopotami do not give birth, not one of their females conceives, when they hear the thud of your shaft and the whistling of your blade, like thunder in the east of heaven, like a drum in the hands of a child.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
ACT ONE
Scene One
[Decription of Relief.] Two boats. In the first Horus, lord of Mesen, armed with harpoon and rope, thrusts his blade into the snout of a hippopotamus. In the second Horus of Behdet, similarly armed, pierces the head or forehead, of a hippopotamus. In either boat is an animal-headed demon (heads of both figures destroyed), who carries a harpoon, blade uppermost, in his right hand and a knife in his left. On land, facing the boat, stands King Ptolemy in an attitude of respect (his hands hanging down on either side of him).
[Inscription Above Relief.] Praise to you, praise to your name, Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky, goodly wall . . . . . .
[HORUS.] [64] [The first harpoon is stuck fast] in his snout and has severed his nostrils. The blade takes hold in the head of the Hippopotamus in the Place of Confidence.
[CHORUS.] O Horus, fair are your trappings of giraffe's hair, your net which is Min's and your shaft which belongs to the spear of Onuris. Your arm was the first to cast the harpoon. . . . 5 Those (?) upon the banks rejoice at the sight of you, as at the rising of Sothis at the beginning of the year, when they behold your weapons raining down in mid-stream like the moon-beams when the sky is peaceful. Horus is in his bark like Wnty, having overthrown the hippopotami from his war-galley.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[HORUS.] [The second harpoon is stuck fast] in his forehead, it has cleft the crown of the head of the foes.
[CHORUS.] Grasp firmly the harpoon, breathe the air in Chemmis, O lord of Mesen, captor of the Hippopotamus, creator of joy, goodly Falcon who boards his boat and takes to the river in his war-galley; the Man of the First Lotus-leaf (?) . . . battling Horus, the Man of the First Lotus-leaf (?); those who are in the water [are afraid of him], awe of him is in those who are on the bank; you subjugator of everyone, you whose . . . are strong, the Perverse One in the water (?) fears you. You smite and wound (?) as if it were Horus who cast the harpoon, even the Victorious Bull, Lord of Prowess (?). 10 The Son of Rē has done for Horus even as Horus himself did, the Son of (Rē) has done likewise. Let your talons grip the second harpoon.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
Scene Two
[Decription of Relief.] Two boats. In the first Horus, lord of Mesen, armed with harpoon and rope, pierces a hippopotamus in the neck. In the second Horus of Behdet, similarly armed, wounds the head (?) of a hippopotamus destroyed. In either boat is an attendant demon, armed as in the preceding relief. The first demon is bull-headed and so probably was the second. King Ptolemy stands at the water's edge, facing the boats, with his hands raised in adoration.
[HORUS.] [66] 10 The [third] harpoon is stuck fast in his neck, its barbs bite into his flesh.
[CHORUS.] Hail to you, the one who sleeps alone, who communes with his own heart only, a man to seize the mooring-post in the water.
[ISIS.] Cast your harpoon, I pray, at the mound of the Savage Beast. See, you are on a mound clear of bushes, a shore free from scrub. Fear not his awfulness, flee not because of them that are in the water. Let your harpoon fasten on to him, my son Horus.
[READER.] Isis said to Horus:
[ISIS.] Your foes have fallen beneath you, so eat the flesh of the neck, the abomination [67] of women. The noise of lamentation is in the southern sky, wailing is in the northern sky, the noise of the lamentation of my brother Seth. My son Horus holds him fast.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[HORUS.] The [fourth] harpoon is stuck fast in his pate, it has cut open the vessels of his head (?), the back parts in his head.
[CHORUS.] Grasp the harpoon which Ptah, the goodly guide, fashioned for the Fen-goddess, which was fashioned in copper for (your) mother Isis.
[ISIS.] I have made raiment for the Fen-goddess, for Tayt, Šdt, Sothis, Dȝyt, and Our Lady of the Chase. 5 Be firm on your feet against that Hippopotamus, hold him fast with your hand.
[HORUS.] I have cast my harpoon at the Lower-Egyptian Bull and sore wounded Terrible-Face, ploughing up the water with my (?). . . from upon the bank (?). I reach (?) the water and approach the river .
[ISIS.] Let your harpoon fasten on to him, my son Horus, on to that enemy of your father. Drive your blade into [him], my son Horus, that your shaft may bite into his skin; let your hands drag that Scoundrel . . .
Scene Three
[Decription of Relief.] Two boats. In the first Horus, lord of Mesen, and in the second Horus of Behdet, armed as before. Both Horus-gods pierce a hippopotamus in the back (or flank). In either boat an attendant demon bearing the usual weapons. The demon in the second boat is lion-headed and the other, whose head is badly mutilated, may be also. King Ptolemy stands on land, facing the boats, in the same posture as in Scene One.
[Inscription Above Relief.] . . . adoring your image, making obeisance to your form . . . your ancestors . . . your Majesty prevails over your foes. Your Majesty places them as a protection round about Mesen, unendingly and unceasingly for ever.
[HORUS.] [69] The fifth harpoon is stuck fast in his flank, it has cleft open [his] ribs.
[CHORUS.] Thrust home the harpoon, spread wide the rope, make common cause with Horus who shoots mightily. Lo, you are a Nubian in Khent-henf, yet you dwell in a temple, for Rē has given you his kingship with the intent to 10 overthrow the Hippopotamus.
[ISIS ?] The cry of the Hippopotamus fallen in your rope! Alas, alas in Kenmet! The boat is light and he who is in it is a child, yet that Scoundrel who is in your rope is fallen.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[HORUS.] The sixth harpoon is stuck fast in [70] his ribs, it has split his vertebrae.
[READER OR CHORUS?] I wash my mouth, I chew natron, that I may extol the might of Horus son of Isis, the goodly stripling who came forth from Isis, son of Osiris, the lovable one. Horus has flung his missile with his hand, he whose arm was strong from the first, when he established the sky upon its four supports. Successful are the deeds which he has done.
Lo, Busiris, Mendes, Heliopolis, Letopolis, Pe, Dep, Memphis, Hermopolis, Ḥbnw, the Oryx Nome, the Nome of Dwn-ʿnwy, Ḥ-nēsu, Heracleopolis, Abydos, Panopolis, Coptus, Asyūt, Behdet, Mesen and Denderah are in joy, making jubilation when they see this beauteous and 5 enduring memorial which Horus son of Isis has made. He has built the Throne, adorned with gold, overlaid and finished with electrum. Its sanctuary is beautiful and noble, like the seat of the Master of the Universe. His Majesty dwells in Ḫȝ-nfr, the Coasts of Horus adoring him, on the estate (?) of his father Osiris. He has taken the office of his father, winning him triumph and avenging him. Seth thought to oppress him, but Horus attacked him. How pleasant is the father's office to his son who has vindicated him. He gives thanks for it (?).
[ISIS.] You who acted under my guidance, you have dealt with the malady (?). You have oppressed him who oppressed you. My son Horus has grown up in his strength, and was from the first ordained to avenge his father.
[READER OR CHORUS.] The sky was cleared for him by the north wind, and 10 the Two Lands were strewn with Upper-Egyptian emeralds, because Horus had built his war-galley in order to go in it to the fen to overthrow the enemies of his father [71] Osiris, to seize for him the disaffected.
[HORUS.] I am Horus, son of Osiris, who smote the foes and overthrew his enemies.
[ISIS.] How pleasant it is to walk along the shore unhindered, to pass through the water without the sand swelling up (?) under your feet, and no thorn pricks them, and the crocodiles are not uncovered, your grandeur having been seen and your shaft planted in him, my son Horus.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
Scene Four
[Decription of Relief.] Two boats, the first containing Horus, lord of Mesen, and the second Horus of Behdet. Horus of Mesen appears to be driving his harpoon into the testicles of a hippopotamus, which is lying on its back, while Horus of Behdet pierces the hind quarters of his victim. An attendant demon in either boat armed as usual; both apparently lion-headed. Facing the two boats is King Ptolemy, his arms raised in adoration. The action of this scene seems to have been interrupted by an interlude, not depicted in the relief, representing the slaying of the Sȝbt-snakes in Letopolis.
[Inscription Above Relief.] Praise to your face, glory to your might, O Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky, strong wall, warlike falcon, excelling in strength, greatly feared, who wounds him that seeks his hurt, a hero of great [strength], . . . protecting his temple, he of the sharp talons, . . . guarding Mesen unceasingly and unremittingly. Your valour and your might are round about your temple for the length of eternity.
[HORUS.] [73] The seventh harpoon is stuck fast in his body, it has spiked his stones.
[READER.] Isis uttered a cry, speaking to the 5 fatherless child battling with Pnēhes.
[ISIS.] Be of good courage, Horus my son. Lo, you are holding him fast, that enemy of your father. Be not wearied because of him. [One hand] grapples with your harpoon in his hide, two hands grapple with your rope. Your blade, it has bitten into his bones, I have seen your blade in his belly, your horn playing havoc with his bones.
[CHORUS.] Ye who are in heaven and earth, fear Horus. Ye who are in the abyss, do him reverence. Lo, he hath appeared in glory as a mighty king, he hath taken the throne of his father. The right arm of Horus is as those of the young fen-men. Eat ye the flesh of the foe, drink of his gore, swallow them up (?), O you who are in the abyss!
An Interlude
[Stage-Direction.] Letopolis. . The slaying of sȝbt-snakes for his mother Isis.
Scene Four {continued}
[READER.] [74] Isis came, having found the Hippopotamus standing with his feet on dry land. She (?) made . . . for (?) his war-galley and her son Horus, saying:
[ISIS.] Lo, I am come as the Mother from Chemmis, that I may make an end for you of the Hippopotamus which has crushed the nest (?) . . . The boat is light, and he who is in it is but a child, (yet) that Scoundrel who is in your rope has fallen.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[HORUS.] The eighth harpoon is stuck fast in his hind quarters, it has ripped up his haunches.
[CHORUS.] Let your divine harpoon bite into his face. O Horus, be not (?) . . . because of him. Onuris is the protector of your rending talons (??) . . . 5 of the dss-fish in. . . . How many do you spike when your talons take hold, when your shaft has been made ready in your hand! You cut up (?) the flesh in the morning. Your arrows (?) are those of the Master of the Bird-pool (?). Satisfaction (?) of your throat is given to you, so say (?) the young craftsmen. It is Ptah who presents it (?) to you. Hail Horus, beloved of the fen-men! Lo, you are a diving ḫbs-bird which transfixes the fish in the water. Lo, you are an ichneumon,firmly poised upon its claws, which seizes the prey with its paw. Lo, you are a hunter's hound which breaks through (?) the fat of the neck in order to [eat] the flesh. Lo, you are a stripling of sturdy build (?) who slays one mightier than himself. Lo, 10 you are a fierce lion, ready for the fray upon the river-bank, which stands astride the carcass. Lo, you are a flame . . ., inspiring fear (?), which rages on a hillock of brushwood.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
Scene Five
[Decription of Relief.] Two boats. In the first Horus, lord of Mesen, and in the second Horus of Behdet. Both attendant demons, armed as usual, appear to be lion-headed. Horus, lord of Mesen, thrusts his weapon into the hind quarters of a hippopotamus which is standing upright, while Horus of Behdet harpoons the feet of one which lies on its back. King Ptolemy is in the posture of Scenes One and Three.
[Inscription Above Relief.] Glory be to [your] spirit, O spearman of great [strength], Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky. Adoration to your avenging angels (?) your followers, your messengers, and your watchmen who watch over your sanctuary. Glory be to your war-galley, your mother, your nurse, who dangled your loveliness upon her knees. Praise to your blade, your shaft, your ropes, and this your armoury for overthrowing your foes. Your Majesty sets them as a protection round about your temple. Your spirit safeguards Mesen for ever.
[HORUS.] [77] The ninth harpoon is stuck fast in his legs, entering (?) the flesh of the Hippopotamus.
[CHORUS.] Let your harpoon lay hold of him, Horus, fierce of face, alert son of the Master of the Universe. At dawn your wonders are seen like those of Haroeris, on the river-banks. Can it be that a brother hates his brother who is older than him? Who will love him? He will fall by the rope of Shesmu, as the spoil of Our Lady of the Chase.
[ISIS.] Have you called to mind how when we were in Lower Egypt the father of the gods sent us gods to row us, Sopd being our helmsman? 5 How the gods were united in watching over us, each one of them skilled in his trade? How Ḫar-Khentekhtai steered us, and Geb showed us the way?
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[HORUS.] The tenth harpoon is stuck fast in his hocks.
[READER?] 'Come and cause him (?) to . . . who . . . against him,' say (?) the Young Harpooners.
[CHORUS.] Seize and lay hold, O you lords of strength, plunder, you masters of the savage beasts! Drink the blood of your foes and of their females; sharpen your knives and [whet] your blades, steep (?) your weapons in the blood! Yours are the bodies of lions in the hidden covert (?). Yours are the bodies of hippopotami, whose abomination is. .. . Yours are 10 the bodies of ʿbb-geese which run along the shore, their hearts elated at alighting on it (?).
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
ACT TWO { The Rejoicing over the Victory }
Scene One
[Decription of Relief.] A large ship, its sail distended with the wind. In the middle of the vessel stands Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of Mesen, who with his right hand thrusts his harpoon into the snout of a hippopotamus. In his left hand he holds the ends of two ropes which are doubtless attached to the blades already lodged in the animal's body. Isis squatting in the bow holds two similar ropes. On shore, facing the ship, is King Ptolemy - wearing the head-dress of Onuris - who harpoons the hippopotamus in the back of the head. Behind the King are two running men each carrying a harpoon and a dagger.
[Inscription Above Relief.] Come, let us hasten to the Pool of Horus, that we may see the Falcon in his ship, that we may see the son of Isis in his war-galley, like Rē in the Bark of the Morning. His harpoon is held firmly in his grip, as in that of Horus of the Mighty Arm. He casts and drags, that [he] may bring captive the Hippopotamus and slay the Lower-Egyptian Bull. Rejoice, O you inhabitants of Retribution-Town! Alas, alas, in Kenmet!
[CHORUS.] [79] Seize your dmȝt, come down and stand fast, having your adornments which belong to Hedjhotpe, your net which belongs to Min, which was woven for you and spun for you by Hathor, mistress of the tḫ-plant. A meal of forelegs is assigned to you, and you eat it eagerly (?). The gods of the sky are in terror 10 of Horus. Hear the cries of Nēhes! Steady, Horus! Do not flee not because of them that are in the water, do not fear them that are in the stream. Do not listen when Seth pleads with you.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[ISIS.] Take to your war-galley, my son Horus whom I love, the nurse which dangles Horus upon the water, hiding him beneath her timbers, the deep gloom of pines. There is no fear when [80] backing (?) to moor, for the goodly rudder turns upon its post like Horus on the lap of his mother Isis. The ḥww are fixed upon the mȝsty, like the vizier in the palace. The mast stands firmly on the footstep, like Horus when he became ruler over this land. That beauteous sail of dazzling brightness is like Nut the great when she was pregnant with the gods. The two lifts, one is Isis, the other Nephthys, each of them firmly holding what appertains to them upon the yard-arms, like brothers by one mother mated in wedlock. 5 The rowlocks are fixed upon the gunwale like the ornaments of princes. The oars beat on either side of the ship like heralds when they proclaim the joust. The planks adhere closely together and are not parted the one from the other. The deck is like a writing-board filled with the imagesof goddesses. The baulks in the hold are like pillars standing firmly in a temple. The belaying-pins (?) in the bulwarks (?) are like a noble snake whose back is concealed. The scoop of real lapis lazuli bales out the water as fine unguent, while the iyḥ-weed scurries in front of her like a great snake 10 into its hole. The hawser is beside the post like a chick beside its mother.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[READER.] Isis said to the Young Harpooners when she saw their shapely hands:
[ISIS.] Assault the foe, slay [81] him in his lair, slaughter him in his [destined moments] here and now! Plunge your knives into [him] again and again! The gods of the sky are in terror of Horus. Hear the cry of Nehes. [Steady, Horus!] Do not flee not because of them that are in the water, do not fear them that are in the stream. Do not listen when Seth pleads with you ... held (?) in your grasp, my son Horus.
Lay hold, Horus, lay hold of the harpoon-shaft. I, yes I, am the lady of the shaft. I am the beautiful one, the mistress of the loud screamer, which comes forth upon the banks and 5 gleams after the robber-beast, which rips open his skin, breaks open his ribs and enters . . . I do [not] forget the night of the flood, the hour of turmoil.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
Scene Two
[Decription of Relief.] Horus of Behdet, lord of Mesen, standing at the water's edge, pierces the head of a hippopotamus with his harpoon. To the left of this figure is a boat in which Horus of Behdet again appears, crowned, as usual, with the double crown and also holding the crook and whip. Behind him is Thoth, his right hand uplifted in the gesture of protection or blessing, and his left hand holding a papyrus roll and the ☥-symbol. On shore, facing the boat, is Queen Cleopatra, "God's Mother of the Son of Rē Ptolemy", jingling a pair of sistra. In her train are six women, in two rows of three, beating single-membrane drums. Those in the lower row represent the Lower-Egyptian princesses and the women of Busiris, those in the upper row the Upper-Egyptian princesses and the women of Pe and Dep.
[Inscription Above Relief.] How happy is your countenance, now that you have appeared gloriously in your bark, Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky, like Rē in the Bark of the Morn you have received your office with crook and whip, and are crowned with the Double Diadem of Horus, Sakhmet prevailing over him that is rebellious towards you, Thoth the great protecting you. Your inheritance is yours, great god, son of Osiris, now that you have smitten the Lower-Egyptian Bull. Be glad of heart, O you inhabitants of the Great Seat; Horus has taken possession of the throne of his father.
[QUEEN.] [83] Rejoice, O you women of Busiris and you townsfolk beside ʿAndjet! Come and see [Horus] who has pierced the Lower-Egyptian Bull! He wallows in the blood of the foe, his harpoon-shaft achieving a swift capture. He makes the river to flow blood-stained, like Sakhmet in a blighted year.
[CHORUS OF WOMEN OF BUSIRIS.] Your weapons plunge in mid-stream like a wild goose beside her young ones.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
[QUEEN.] Rejoice, O you women of Pe and Dep, you townsfolk beside 10 the marshes! Come and see Horus in the prow of his ship, like Rē when he shines in the horizon, arrayed in green cloth, clad in red cloth, decked in his ornaments, the White Crown and the Red Crown firmly set on his head, the two uraei between his brows. He has received the crook and the whip, being crowned with the great Double Diadem, while Sakhmet abides in front of him and Thoth protects him.
[CHORUS OF WOMEN OF PE AND DEP.] It is Ptah who has shaped your shaft, Soker who has forged your weapons. It is Ḥedjḥotpe in the Beauteous Place who has made your rope from yarn. Your harpoon-blade is of sheet-copper, your shaft of nbs-wood from abroad.
[HORUS.] I have hurled with my right hand, I have swung with my left hand, as a bold fen-man does.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
ACT THREE { The Celebration of the Victory }
Scene One
[Decription of Relief.] Horus of Behdet, lord of Mesen, standing on the back of a hippopotamus pierces its forehead with his harpoon. Behind him is Isis, who supports the god's upraised left arm with her right hand. Facing them are nine divinities in two rows, four in the lower and five in the upper. Each divinity is supplied with an altar bearing that portion of the dismembered beast to which he or she is entitled.
[Names of the Divinities.] 1. Osiris-Onnophris the triumphant; 2. Haroeris, pre-eminent in Letopolis; 3. Onuris; 4. Wepwawet; 5. Tefēnet, mistress of Mḏd; 6. Khnum-Haroeris, whose feats are many; 7. Khnum, lord of Elephantine, great god, lord of the Cataract; 8. Nephthys; 9. Isis.
[READER.] [84] 15 Isis opened her mouth to speak to her son Horus, saying :
[ISIS.] If you cut up your [85] great Hippopotamus, hasten to me and draw close to me that I may instruct you. I say to you: Let his foreleg be taken to Busiris for your father Osiris-Onnophris the triumphant. Consign his ribs to 'Iyt for Haroeris pre-eminent in Letopolis, while his shank (?) remains in This for your great father Onuris. Consign his shoulder to 'Ibt for your great brother Wepwawet. Consign his breast to Asyūt for Tefēnet mistress of Mḏd. Give his thigh to Khnum- 5 Haroeris, him whose feats are many, great god lord of the knife, lord of strength, who overthrows the foes, for he is your great brother. Give the large meat-portion of him to Khnum, lord of Elephantine, great god, lord of the Cataract, that he may increase the crew of your war-galley. Give his rump to Nephthys, for she is your great sister. Mine is his forepart, mine is his hind-part, for I am she who rescued the heart of the Weary-Hearted One, him whose heart failed. Give his bones to the cats, his fat to the worms, his suet (?) to the Young Harpooners, that they may know the taste of his flesh. Give the whole forepart to their children, that they may perceive (?) 10 the sweetness of his form, and the choice portion of his limbs to your followers, that they may savour the taste of his flesh. So shall they drive your harpoon deep (?) within him, my son Horus, even the holy harpoon that has entered into him, into that enemy of your father Osiris.
[CHORUS AND ONLOOKERS.] Hold fast, Horus, hold fast!
Scene Two
[Decription of Relief.] Horus of Behdet, lord of Mesen, accompanied by Isis, harpoons a small model of a hippopotamus in the middle of the back. Facing him King Ptolemy harpoons the buttocks of the somewhat larger figure of a bound human captive.
[Inscription Above Relief.] The noise of rejoicing resounds in Mesen, gladness issues from Behdet, for Horus has come that he may slay the Nubian and his confederates in [the place of slaughter] (?). He has cut off his head, he has cut out his heart, he has drenched him in his own blood. Wetjset-Ḥor and Denderah are in jubilation. Alas, alas, in Kenset!
{ An interlude. }
Scene Three
[Decription of Relief.] A butcher cuts up the figure of a hippopotamus with a knife. Behind him Imhotep, wearing a leopard-skin vestment over a long linen robe, recites from a papyrus roll which he holds in both hands. Behind him, again, the King pours grain from a cup into the open beak of a goose.
[ISIS.] [87] Seize your harpoon and do what you will (?) with it, my son Horus, O lovable one.
[CHIEF LECTOR.] The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, {Blank}, Son of Rē, (Ptolemy-may-he-live-for-ever-Beloved-of-Ptah), is triumphant in the Broad Hall, he has overthrown the Mntyw of all the countries of Asia. Lo, he is triumphant in the Broad Hall, he has suppressed his enemies, [88] he has taken hold of his (!) back, he has clutched the foes (?) by their forelocks.
[Stage-Direction.] Bringing in the hippopotamus in the form of a cake before (?) him-with-the-uplifted-arm. Dismembering by the butcher. Recital of this book against him by the chief lector on the twenty-first day of the second month of Prōyet {Mecheir}.
[TO BE SPOKEN BY THE PROPHETS, THE FATHERS OF THE GOD, AND THE PRIESTS.] Be glad, O women of Busiris, Horus has overthrown his enemies. Rejoice, O inhabitants of Wetjset-Ḥor, Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky, has overthrown this foe 5 of his father Osiris. O Onnophris, your strength is restored to you, they who are in . . . fear you; the lords of the thrones shout in joy to you. This is Horus, the protector of his father Osiris, who fights with his horns, who prevails . . . seizing the Perverse One; who smites the foes.
[Stage-Direction.] Bringing in the goose, pouring grain into its mouth. To be recited:
[CHIEF LECTOR.] ... [Horus], son of Isis, son of Osiris, on this auspicious day, by the hand of (?) the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, {Blank}, Son of Rē, (Ptolemy-may-he- live-for-ever-Beloved-of-Ptah), who has come from (?) . . . 10 his Kindly (?) Snake; he hath illumined the Two Lands with his beauty, his Holy Eyes and his Darling Eyes being open (?) . . . with his fiery breath . . . gore, in order to restrain the body of him who is disloyal to him. The flame, [89] it consumes the body . . . of him that plots against (?) him. Hurrah for Horus daily, a joy to his father every day, who makes impotent [him who?] . . . the heart (?) against him, who makes an end of him that trespasses against him. Triumphant is Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky, over his enemies. He is fallen - to be repeated four times: Triumphant are Hathor, mistress of Denderah, and Thoth, twice great, lord of Hermopolis, over their enemies. - to be repeated four times.Triumphant is the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, . . ., Son of Rē, (Ptolemy-may-he-live-for-ever-Beloved-of-Ptah), over 5 his enemies - to be repeated four times.
[CHIEF LECTOR.] Horus in his strength has united the Two Lands. Seth is overthrown in the form of a hippopotamus. The Falcon-goddess has come to the House of Horus and she says to her son Horus:
[ISIS.] Your foes bow down and are destroyed for ever, O you Avenger of your Father. Come that I may instruct you. Consign his foreleg to the House of the Prince for your father Osiris Rsy-wḏȝ, while his shank (?) remains in Dep for your great father Ỉpy-shḏ. Let his shoulder be taken to Hermopolis for Thoth, the great one in the valley. Give his ribs to Great-of-Strength and his breast to Wnwt. Give the great meat-portion of him to Khnum in the Temple (?), his neck to 10 Uto of the Two Uraeus-goddesses (?),for she is your great mother. Give his thigh to Horus the Primordial One, the great god who first came into being. Give a roast of him to the birds which execute judgement in Ḏbʿwt. Give his liver to Sepa, and his fat to the disease-demons (?) of Dep. Give his bones to the Ḫmw-iyt (?), his heart to the Lower-Egyptian Songstress. Mine is his forepart, mine is his hind-part, for I am your mother whom he oppressed. Give his tongue to the Young [90] Harpooners, the best of his inward parts (?) to . . . Take for yourself his head, and so assume the White Crown and the office of your father Osiris. What remains of him burn in that brazier of the Mistress of the Two Lands (?). Rē has given you the strength of Mont, and for you, O Horus, is the jubilation (?).
EPILOGUE
{ The epilogue does not have a relief. }
[READER OR CHIEF LECTOR.] 3 Horus of Behdet, great god, lord of the sky, is triumphant in the Broad Hall, and overthrown are the enemies of his father Osiris, of his mother Isis, of his father Rē, of Thoth, master of hieroglyphic writing, of the Ennead, of the Great Palace, of Abydos, Coptus, Ḥwt-nṯr, Wetjset-Ḥor, Behdet, Denderah, and Khant-Iebt, and of his Majesty himself, the Son of Rē, (Ptolemy-may-he-live- for-ever-Beloved-of-Ptah).
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